Picker or fiber-cleaning machine



Apr. 10, 1923;

' J. OCONNELL PICKER OR FIBER CLEANING MACHINE Filed Apr. 29, 1921 2sheets-sheet l ATTORNEYS Apr. 10, 1923.

J. E. OCONNELL PICKER OR FIBER CLEANL'NG MACHINE Filed Apr. 29, 1921 2sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEYS JOHN E. OCONNELL, OF SPRINGFIELD,MASSACHUSETTS.

PIGKER OR FIBER-CLEANING IMACHINE.

Application filed. April 29, 1921.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN E. OCoNNnLL, citizenof the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampdenand State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inPicker or Fiber-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved picker or cotton cleaning machine.Its object is to more thoroughly clean the fiber, decrease the loss offiber in the cleaning op eration, more effectively control the passageof the fiber through the machine, more effectively separate thedifferent elements taken out of the fiber so as to more easily reclaimwaste material, and to generally improve this character of machine withrespect to said objects together or separately.

According to my invention, I employ the same general arrangement asprior machines of like character with respect to a beater casing withinwhich beater-bars may be rapidly rotated to open up the fiber and beatout the dirt and condensing rolls or cylinders to gather the cleanedfibers in a lap to be fed out of the machine. However, I provide a newrelation of grid-bars and screening means for the dirt, and moreparticularly, a new arrangement for controlling the fiber and dirt asthey each pass through the machine for separating one from the other.This control is obtained primarily by a new mode of directing anddetermining the currents of air through the machine to assist andimprove its function. The changes in apparatus are incident to theprincipal plan of obtaining a better cleaning and saving of the fiber bythe ac tion of the air currents in the machine.

I will now describe my improved machine with reference to theaccompanying drawings to enable one skilled in the art to thoroughlyunderstand and practice the vention in its several aspects.

In the drawings',--

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the parts of the machinearranged for operation according to one preferred plan of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the machine in Fig. 1; I

Serial No. 465,363.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. l, but with an additional structuraland slightly modified operating feature; and

Fig. 4; is a plan view of the machine in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1: The cotton to be cleaned is fed into the beatercasing 1 between the rolls 2. The beater-bars 3 are rotated at very highspeed within casing l to open up the cotton fibers and beat out thedirt, motes, etc. The heavy dirt, foreign matter, and picker-seed allbet-ween grid-bars 5 into the receptacle 7. The light lint, dust, andsand is taken from the beater casing through the screen 6 (by a strongcurrent of air to be mentioned later) to be deposited in the chambers 8.9. and 10, according to their gravity. The cleaned cotton, in itsopened-up condition, is carried by a suitable air current over asettling or sand box 14 to condenser rolls 11 and 12. The latter are ofusual screen construction. through which the air passes so that by theirrotation they may condense the cotton into a lap to pass out of themachine between rolls 13.

In carrying out my invention, I provide for two substantiallyindependent currents of air, separately controllable so as to have eachact in its own particular manner on the cotton and the materialbeatenout of the cotton. IVith these two air currents and a suitablearrangement of apparatus to cause the desired action on the separatedmaterial in the machine, I am enabled to keep more cotton in the machinefor final delivery in the form of the finished product and to take moredirt from the cotton as it passes through the machine than othermachines of this character. This result or the manner of accomplishingit is the principal object of the invention and will be clear from aconsideration of the air control about to be described in connectionwith the apparatus and its operation.

The fan 16 draws air from beater cylinder 1 while fan 17 draws airthrough condenser rolls 11 and 12 through passages 50. Each fan may beseparately controlled to have the desired draft on its section of themachine. I am aware that other cotton cleaning machines 0r pickershavebeen provided with two fans, but not with the same or likeadvantages as in my machine, as I will point out.

As shown by the arrows in Fig. 1, air for both fans 16 and 17 enters themachine between grid bars'5. The air current prevents the cotton leavingthe beater casing by this path along which the air enters. The grid-bars5 can therefore be spaced wider apart than if the entering air did nothold back the cotton from being beaten out between them. The relativelyheavy foreign matter such as picker seeds and motes, however,can'readily fall against theair current and betweenthe widely spacedgrid-bars into settling compartment 7. v The relatively light lint,dust, sand, etc, does not fall be tween the grid-bars for the samereason that the cotton does not fall. Therefore to separate this foreignmatter fron' 'the cotton, thezbater casing is provided with a screenedsection 6 separated from the grid-bars by thewalls l9 and 20ofafsettling'chamber 9. Another settling: chamber 8 is immediatelybelowlthe screened section 6. Still another settlingcham'ber 10 containsfan 16 and is connected by pipes 21 tosettling chamber 9i As. indicatedin the drawings, chambers 8, 9, and 10 are closed up sufficiently toprovide for fan 16 drawing air from beater casing 1 through screen 6 to'chamber 8, through 0 eiiin 22 to chamber 9 throu h i3es 21 P n 1 t: l l

to chamber 10, from which it is exhausted bythefanl 'l hequantityof aircan be readity controlled by the speed of the fan 16 or ifjpreferred bythefinsei'tion of dampers 24 in the pipes 21, for the purpose of drawingall possibleligh't foreign matter tl irough screen 6 and away from thecotton being cleaned in' casiiigl.

The arrangement ofgrid-bars 5 and screen 6 with a suitable quantity ofair moving through the latter, enables me to set the beater bars 3 veryclose to grid-harsh and screen 6, with improved results. As the airenters 5 the cottonis keptin-the cylinder while beat'erbars 3 rake thefibers most effectively acrossth'e grids to beat out the heavier dirt.The air tends to hold the fibers against screen ,6, while thebars 3 rakeful by-pr'oducts are conveniently collected according to grade. k.Thefa'n v.117readily controls, according to its speedhthei'collectioncf. the cleaned fibers into'a desired uniform lapon condenser rolls 11and 12. The air for this purpose assists in carrying the opened fiberfrom casing 1 over the sand box llto the condenser rolls. The fan 16 isoperated primarily for the special cleaning purposes which are availableon account of the special construction incident to the purposes. The fan17 is operated primarily for the purpose of properly collecting thefibers on the condenser rolls. I consider it of very substantialimportance, and a feature of my invention, that the current of air forcleaning is not dependent in any substantial sense upon the current ofair for carrying the fibers to and condensing them on screen rollsll and12. Accord- 8D ing to my invention, each current of air is directed toits single purpose. In carrying out the purposes of each fanit will beunderstood that the inlet for air through the feed rolls'and grid barsection 5, is large enough at all times to supply the full suctioncapacity of both fans .so that at no time will said fans tend to workagainst one another in drawing, out their respective currents of air. Bythis arrangement, I can control one current and the other current sothat each will accomplish its own purpose and not interfere with theaction of the other. By theseparate control of the two aircurrentsacting in conjunction with the apparatus having 'substantially'theaction as described, the cotton is much more; effectively cleaned thanin any machine ofwhich I am aware after ,a long experience with suchmachines as are now in use. By doingv more cleaning m workin a cleaningmachine of the character described, the more expensivecarding ma chineswhich operate on the cotton fiber ata later stage in its -manufacturehave less cleaning to do and labor in renovating the carding machines'aswell as expense of new card clothing is saved.

The same improved machine already de-' scribed is shown in Figs. 3 and 1with a slight modification, or addition which may be desired toincrease'the cleaning capacity of the beater casing under some conditions. The same reference numerals are usedfor the parts except upon themodified portion of thecasing y i In the modification the casing 1 hasan; additional screen section 32 at the upper part of thecasing,,similar to sc'reenfsectionl 6, and opening into space 40.The'latter has a settling, portion (at the rightfinllig. 3) and is alsoconnected at thetop by means of verticallpipes extending; down each sideof the casingito the settling chamber,

9. These pipes 33 may be p'rovidedwith dampers 3411s a means ofcontrolling the flow of air from casing 1 through screen" 32. Access isobtained to the beater bars by turning back the covers orwalls cfspace10 on suitahlehinges 1 53 and 3 1, 1:;

lVith the machine as constructed in" Fig.

iii)

3, the operation due to screen section 32 creased working portion of thebeater cas ing for the outlet dirt, particularly of the lightervarieties which tend to follow the beater bars in their exceedinglyrapid r0- tation.

I have described my invention in one preferred form, the essentialconstruction of which I have actually used with the advantages stated inthe better cleaning of the cotton and control of the operation as awhole. My invention can be applied broadly to various specific types ofcleaning machines ot the character described.

What I described as my invention is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a heater casing andcondenser rolls, a grid-bar section and a screen section for the casing,suction creating means to establish and control a current of air throughsaid condenser rolls, separate suction creating means to establish andcontrol a current of air inwardly through the grid-bar section andoutwardly through said screen section, said two suction creating meansbeing operated and controlled independently of one another.

2. In a machine of the character described, a beater casing andcondenser rolls, a grid-bar section and a screen section for the casing,suction creating means to establish and control a current of airinwardly through the grid-bar section and outwardly through saidcondenser rolls, separate suction creating means to establish andcontrol a current of air inwardly through the grid bar section andoutwardly through said screen section, said two suction creating meansbeing operated and controlled inclependently of one another.

3. In a machine or" the character described, a heater casing andcondenser rolls, a grid-bar section and a screen section, a tan to drawair in through the grid-bar section and out through the screen section,and a second fan to draw air through the gridbar section and out throughthe condenser rolls, said fans being operable to control said separateair currents independently of one another.

4. A cleaning machine having a beater casing provided with a pluralityof outlets for dirt and a fan to draw air in one of said dirt outletsand out of the other, and a collecting means for cleaned materialcomprising condenser rolls and a second fan to draw said material out ofthe casing onto said condenser rolls, said fans establishing twoindependently controlled air currents in said machine.

5. In a cotton cleaning machine, a beater casing having an outlet forcleaned fiber and provided in its eripheral wall with a grid-bar sectionand two dirt outlet sections, one above and one below said fiber outlet,and means comprising a tan to draw air in through said grid-bar sectionand out through both said dirt outlet sections.

6. A cleaning machine comprising a beater casing, a fan to establish acurrent of air through said casing to carry out the dirt, and asuccession of settling chambers connected in series through which saidair current passes in succession, the last one of the series containingthe fan and of su'liicient size for the fan to work therein and stillpermit an effective settling of the very light particles of dirt.

7. A cotton cleaning machine comprising in combination a cylindricalcasing having an inlet for fiber to be cleaned and an outlet for cleanedfiber, rotatable beater bars in said casing, said casing having in itsperipheral wall a grid-bar section adjacent the inlet and two additionalscreen outlet sections for dirt arranged one above and one below saidcleaned fiber outlet so that said beater bars rake the cotton "to becleaned across said grid-bar section and said two screen outletsections.

8. In a cotton cleaning machine, a beater casing having a grid-barsection and screen section and heater bars arranged to rotate veryclosely by the grid-bars, a condenser casing with condenser screenstherein, connected to the beater casing to take the fiber therefrom, atan arranged to draw air in through the grid-bar section. and outthrough the screen section, and a second fan to draw the cleaned fiberfrom the beater casing onto the condenser screens, said fans beingoperable to control said separate air currents independently of oneanother.

9. In a cotton cleaning machine comprising, a beater casing and acondenser casing connected together, a grid-bar section in said beatercasing, two fans, one for each casing, an independent air outlet fromeach easing to the air inlet of its respective tan, and a common airinlet for said connected casings through said grid-bar section.

10. A cotton cleaning machine including in combination a beater casingand a condenser casing connected together, said heater casing having arid-bar section, and separate and indepen ently controllable means totake air out of each casing, said grid-bar section aitording an airinlet for both cas ings.

11. A cotton cleaning machine including in combination a beat-er casinghaving two dirt outlets one of which is used as an air in let and theother as an air outlet, a condenser casing connected to the beatercasing, an exhaust fan to take air out of said beater casing, and anindependently operated exhaust fanitd'talke air'out of saidcondensercasing whereby the current of air through said beater casing can becontrolled lI1l'- pendently of the current'of airthrough said condensercasing.

12. In acotton cle-aning'machine, a beater casing'having an outlet forcleaned fiber and provided with a grid-bar section and two dirt outletsections, one above and one below said fiber outlet, means comprising afan to draw air in through said grid-bar section, and out through bothsaid dirt outlet sections, and a separately controlled fan for drawingair in through said grid-bar section and out through said cleaned fiberoutlet.

13. A cotton cleaning machine comprising in combination a cylindricalcasing having an inlet for fibe'r tobe cleaned and an out let forcleaned fiber, rotatable beater'bars'in said casing, said casinghavmgmits peripheral wall a grid-bar section adjacent the inlet and two screenoutlet sections for dirt arranged one above" and one below said cle'anedfiber" o'ut'let so that said beater bars rakei the cotton to be cleanedacross said grid-bar section and'said two screen outlet sections, andsuction creating means to draw air outwardly from said caslng throughsaid two screen outlet sections.

14. A'cotton cleaning machine comprising in combination a' cylindricalcasing having an inlet for'fiber to be cleanedand an out let for cleanedfiber, rotatable beater bars in' saidcasing, said casing having in itsperipheral walla grid-bar'section ad acent the inlet and two screen outletsections for dirt signature. 7

JOHN E. OCONNELL.

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